Car-brake



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1'.

J. HUGHES. GAR BRAKE.

No. 488,676. Patented Dec. 27,1892.

2 SheetsSheet 2.

(No ModeL) J. HUGHES. OAR. BRAKE. No. 488,676. Patented Dec. 27, L892.

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rates PATENT FFICEQ CAR-BRAKE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 488,676, dated December 27, 1892.

Application filed June 20, 1892- .To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JAMES HUGHES, of Bos ton, in the county of Suffolk, State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Car-Brakes, of which the following is a description sufficiently full, clear, and exact to enable any person skilled in the art or science to which said invention appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which Figure 1 is an end elevation of a freightcar partly broken away showing my improved brake mechanism: Fig.2 a bottom plan View of the car; Fig. 3a side elevation showing the brake mechanism; Fig. 4 an end elevation of the friction clutch mechanism the winding shaft being shown in section; and Fig. 5 a longitudinal section of the same.

Like letters and figures of reference indicate corresponding parts in the different figures of the drawings.

My invention relates especially to an auto matically actuated brake-mechanism, which is particularly designed for use on freightcars; and it consists in certain novel features hereinafter fully set forth and claimed, the object being to produce a simpler, cheaper and more effective device of this character than is now in ordinary use. I

The nature and operation of the improvement will be readily understood by all conversant with such matters from the following explanation:

In the drawings, A represents the car body, B one of the axles of the truck on which the wheels, C, are mounted in the usual manner and D the brake-beam provided with shoes, I). In hangers,f, pendent from the car body adjacentthe axle, B, the winding shaft, g, is

journaled, said shaft being mounted in boxes,

71, (see Fig. 3) which are supported by springs, '6. On the axle, B, a gear, j, is fast. On the winding shaft, g, there is a loose gear, is, meshing with the gear,j, on the axle. The hub of the gear, is, is provided with one member, m, of a friction clutch (see Fig. 5). The shaft, g, is squared at, p, and the companion clutch member, q, is mounted thereonin position to engage the member, m, when moved longitudinally of said shaft. A forked lever,

Serial No. 437,342. (No model.)

0*, is pivoted at, t, (see Fig. 2) to the bottom of the car and astrides the loose clutch member, q, to which it is pivoted at, r. Abolt,w, secured centrally in the brake-beam is connected by a chain, at, with the winding-shaft, g. A lever, 2 is pivoted on the car bottom at, z, and has an arm, 15,which is pivoted at, 16, to the forward end of the lever, r. Rods, 16, and, 17, pass respectively through opposite ends of the lever, y, and run to opposite ends of the car. The rod, 16, is represented as broken away, as its connecting mechanism is the same as that hereinafter'described for the rod, 17. Said rods are fitted to slide through the ends of the levers, y, between studs, 18, a tensioned spring, 19, being inter posed between the lever end and one of said studs. The rod,17, is provided with alink or longitudinal slot, 20. A lever, 21, is pivoted by an end at, 22, to the car body, its opposite end being provided with a pin, 23, which works in the slot, 20, of the rod, 17. The rod slides in a loop, or hanger, 24, on the car body between which and the link, 20, a push-spring, 25, is interposed. A rod, 26, is pivoted at, 27, centrally to the lever, 21, the outer end of said rod being provided with a link, 28. A bellcrank lever, 29, is pivoted on the bottom of the car and one end thereof is attached by an eye, 30, to the rod, 26. The opposite ends of the lever is provided with an eye, 31, through Whicha rod, 32, slides. Nuts, 33, (see Fig. 2) are disposed on said rod and at the opposite sides of said eye, 31, between it and said nuts there are two springs, 34, and, 35, so arranged that there is a space at, 36, for lost motion of the eye. end with a link, 40. A bell-crank lever, 41, is pivoted to the car body and has one arm working in said link. The rod, 32, is "connected with said bell crank by a pin, 42; the opposite end of the bell-crank, 41, is connected by a rod,43,with the top of the car. A hand crank-lever, 44, is pivoted on the car at its top and a notched are against which said lever works is fitted to engage a spring-pushed dog, 46, on the lever. The upper end of the rod, 43, is pivoted at, 47, to an arm of said lever.

H represents the draw-bar of the car. The inner end of said bar is provided with a pin, 50, which works in a slot, 52, in a lever, 51, pivoted to the car body. The opposite end The rod, 17, is provided at its outer tion and locked by the dog, 46.

of said lever is hook-shaped at, 53, to enter the link, 28, on the rod, 26.

As represented in the drawings the brake is set. The hand-lever, 44, being thrown to the right (see Fig. 1) elevating the rod, 43, drawing thereby the rod, 17, outward compressing the spring, 25. This also draws the adjacent arm of the lever, y, outward holding the same by the tension of the spring, 19, said spring being interposed to prevent the racking of the parts from the clutch. lhe arm, 15, on the lever, y, being thrown laterally by this movement carries with it the adjacent end of the clutch lever, r, and throws with it the clutch member, (1, on the Winding shaft,

9, into engagement with its companion member, m, fixing the gear, is, on said shaft. Until this movement the loose gear, 70, is rotated constantly from the axle, B, of the car. Such gearnow being fastened causes the chain, as, to wind on the winding shaft, g, and draws the brake-beam, D, connected therewith driving the shoe, b, against the wheels, at once braking the car. To relieve the brakes the hand-lever, 44, is elevated into vertical posi- This permits the spring, 25, bearing against the lug, 24, to drive the rod, 17, inward operating the lever, y, in the opposite direction and releasing the clutch.

The mechanism connected with the drawbar above described is for setting the brake when said bar is driven inward by contact with the bar of other cars of the train to prevent the forward jump of said car from the recoil of said contact. To adjust the parts for this the lever, 44, is thrown over on the arc to the extreme left as viewed. This causes the bell-crank, 41, to drive the rod, 17, still fartherinward. Conjointlytherewithitdrives the rod, 32, and the spring, 34, thereon against the adjacent arm of the bell-crank, 29. .The rod, 26, being attached to the opposite end of said crank is thrown laterally thereby until its link, 28, is in the path of the hook, 53, on the lever, 51. When the draw-bar is driven inward by contact with another car, said lever, 51, is actuated and its hook end draws the rod, 26, outward actuating the lever, 21. The rod,'17, having been pushed inward the pin, 23, on said lever takes in the forward end of the link, 20, and throws said rod, 17, outward, actuating the clutch mechanism in the same manner as above described.

By use of the springs and links sufficient lost motion is afforded for the proper inde pendent working of the clutch mechanism either from the hand-lever, 44, direct as first specified or from the draw-bar as described.

1. In a car brake, the brake-beam and axle in combination with the ear-body and a retary-shaft thereon; a loose gear on said shaft; a gear fast on said axle and meshing with the loose gear; a chain connecting the shaft and brake-beam; a friction-clutch on said shaft for fixing the loose gear; a hand-lever on the car and a series of spring-pushed levers connecting the same with said clutch whereby it may be actuated, substantially as set forth.

2. The car and axle provided with the fixed gear, j, in combination with the shaft, g, the loose gear, 70, thereon forming a clutch-member; the sliding clutch-member on said shaft; a series of spring-pushed levers pivoted 011 the car for throwing said sliding member; the draw-bar; a hook-lever actuated thereby; mechanism for throwingalever of said series into the path of the hook-lever; the brakebeam and a chain connecting it with said shaft, 9, all being arranged to operate substantially as described.

3. In a car-brake the combination of the connected levers, r, y, pivoted on the carbody; the spring-tensioned rod, 17, connecting with an arm of the lever, y,; the handlever for actuating said rod; the axle and fixed gear; the winding-shaft and loose-gear meshing with the fixed gear; a clutch actuated by lever, 'r, for locking said gear; the brake-beam and chain connecting with the winding-shaft, substantially as set forth.

4. The axle, winding-shaft connecting-gears and clutch-mechanism in combination with the levers, r, y, the spring-tensioned rod, 17, and the hand-lever for actuating the same; the draw-bar; the hook-lever, 51, actuated thereby; a series of levers adapted to be thrown into the path of said hook-lever and actuate said rod by the movement of the draw-bar; the brake-beam and chain connecting the same with the winding-shaft, all being arranged to operate substantially as described.

5. The draw-bar and lever, 51, in combination with the lever, 21, and loop-lever, 26, fitted to be projected into the path of the lever, 51, the spring-tensioned rod, 17, connecting with the lever, 21; the winding-shaft, beam and connecting-chains; the loose clutchgear on said shaft meshing with a fixed gear on the car-axle; the sliding clutch-member on said shaft and levers connecting the same with said rod, all being arranged to operate substantially as set forth.

JAMES l-IU GHES.

\Vitnesses:

0. M. SHAW, K. DURFEE. 

